As the sporting world is stymied by COVID-19 and the cycling world awaits a revised end-of-season race calendar, Copenhagen is preparing for the possibility that the 2021 Tour de France and the postponed 2020 European Championships in soccer will clash next July. Some believe Copenhagen will host more sports than it can handle next summer, but Mayor Frank Jensen acknowledged that "there is space for both events."

"Yes, we are many people who remember and miss soccer. We are working diligently at KBH so that our city can host both EM2021 and TdF, and we want to make 2021 an unforgettable summer," Jensen wrote on Twitter.

Copenhagen announced its application to host the opening stage of the Tour de France four years ago. Last year, Prudhomme approved the bid, making it the northernmost Grande Pearl in Tour de France history. This is the first time the Tour de France has visited Denmark. The first three stages will be held in Copenhagen on July 2-4.

According to the Danish news media outlet Ekstra Bladet (opens in new tab), the Tour de France organizer Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) are in the final stages of negotiations to agree that both competitions will be held in Denmark.

Euro 2020 was postponed for a year due to the new coronavirus, and according to Sky Sports (opens in new tab), FC Copenhagen's Parken Stadium was scheduled to host Group B matches on June 12, 17, and 21 and the best-of-16 matches on June 28 However, Danish Football Union (DBU) President Jesper Moller told Danish media that the chances of hosting the matches were "50-50.

The DBU confirmed to Sky Sports that it was concerned about securing an agreement with the city of Copenhagen, Parken, and Sport Event Denmark to host the match. All host cities must notify UEFA by April 30 whether they can still host matches in the postponed tournament next July.

According to the Ekstra Bladet, in addition to commercial interests and rights, sponsorship and logistical issues must also be addressed, and having two major sporting events so close together could cause them to become strained.

However, the Danish Chamber of Commerce (Dansk Erhverv) has made it clear that there is space for both the Tour de France and the European Championships in soccer next summer.

"Of course there is space for both the Tour de France and the European Cup in 2021," Dansk Erhverv CEO Brian Mikkelson wrote on Twitter. Indeed, "there is more space and need than ever for sports, parties, and guests."

Brian Holm, director of Deceuninck-QuickStep, weighed in on the matter, stating that the Tour de France takes precedence over the European soccer championships.

"The European Championships in soccer does not dictate the start of the Tour. Cycling comes first and I don't care what happens to soccer. That is their problem. To be honest, I am not interested in the European Championships in soccer," Holm told B.T.

. It's like next year's European Championships, but this year the tour was canceled. And they will choose to cancel the European Championships next year and move the Tour there. This is not the way the world is connected. Just like in soccer, there is such a thing as first pick. You came last

"If that happens, we can have a European Championship, and that would be very good for Copenhagen. But if it doesn't happen, we will have to move the games to Malmö [Sweden]. So I don't mind."